


Forest Ghosts

by AlphaScorpiixx



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games), The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Genre: Gen, Kingdom Hearts III, Post-Majora's Mask
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:22:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22550938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaScorpiixx/pseuds/AlphaScorpiixx
Summary: Sora, Donald, and Goofy find themselves in an endless forest.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	Forest Ghosts

“Gawrsh, Sora. Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Goofy asked.

“This is where the locator said to go.” Sora said. Chip and Dale recently installed new DarkFinder tech on the Gummi ship, which (they claimed) could pinpoint the location of abnormal darkness activity, be it Heartless, Nobodies, or one of Xehanort’s Seekers. The tech led them to this world, but until the chipmunks added it to the Gummiphone, the team was left to wander.

And wander they did. They’d been walking around a large, dense forest with no clear path for hours. Sora didn’t mind the endless backtracking, but Donald was getting impatient.

“Hmph,” the duck grumped. “This place gives me the creeps.”

“C’mon, Donald. It isn’t that scary,” Sora swept a branch out of the way. “This world reminds me of Corona. Makes me wonder how Rapunzel’s doing.” A faraway look crossed his face. Their adventures with the fearless girl hadn’t been long ago, but Sora wished they’d spent a little more time at the festival. He’d definitely have to bring Riku and Kairi one day after—

Sora smacked into a tree, too lost in thought to notice where he was going. He rubbed his nose. “Ow, thanks for the warning, you guys.”

Donald and Goofy suppressed their laughter. “Head in the clouds, as usual,” Goofy said.

The three continued on, eyes peeled for signs of Heartless. The creatures didn’t appear, but Sora couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him. Maybe Donald had a point. There was something . . . off about this forest. Nothing moved. Nothing made sound. It was like walking through a field of giant wooden statues, a dark contrast to the lushness of Corona.

“Let’s break for a moment.” He said and leaned against a tree. “How long have we been walking?” He glanced up at the sky, but the thick canopy made it impossible to tell the time of day.

“Why dontcha check the Gummiphone?” Goofy said.

“Oh right.” Sora fished the device out of his pocket. The thing was pretty handy . . . when he remembered to use it. “What? No signal?”

“You probably busted it when you ran into that tree,” Donald muttered.

Sora ignored him and waved the phone in the air. “Oh, come on! How are we going to get back to the Gummi ship?”

“It’s not so easy to leave the forest, hee hee.”

“Huh?” The three jolted at the voice. Sora whipped his head around, trying to find the speaker.

“Who’s there?”

The branches rustled, and a girl appeared. Pointed ears peeked out from behind long blonde hair. A small fairy hovered above her head, glowing a bright green. She hardly looked only enough to be wandering the forest alone.

He slipped the phone back in his pocket. “Hi, I’m Sora. What’s your name?”

“I’m Fado.” She tilted her head and gave him a curious stare. “You’re not one of the Kokiri.”

“Um, no. Hey—you haven’t seen any mysterious strangers around, have you?”

Fado swung onto a low-hanging tree branch and thought for a moment. “Yep! You three!” She laughed. Donald mumbled something about annoying children under his breath.

“Oh, well I meant strangers wearing black coats,” Sora said. He watched the girl climb higher. “Anyone like that?”

“Nope, but that’s okay. If they’re in the woods, you don’t have to worry about them anymore. They’re probably a Stalfos by now.”

“What’s a Stal . . . fos?” Goofy said. Sora was just about to ask the same thing. 

She giggled and rolled her eyes. “Don’t you know about what happens to people who enter the Lost Woods?”

Sora glanced at his friends, but they shrugged. “We, uh, we aren’t from around here.”

Fado sat down on one of the branches, the little fairy floating by her side. She was so high up Sora had to crane his neck to see her. “Only the fairy folk can safely navigate the Lost Woods. All others become monsters—Stalfos.”

“Monsters?!” Donald and Goofy both cried. The three of them glanced around, expecting something to burst out of the trees.

“Wait, you’re saying . . . Are we going to be Stalfos, too?” Sora looked back up, but the branch was empty. “Hey, come back!”

The girl was gone, leaving the three alone again.

“Now what do we do?” Donald said. “She called this place the ‘Lost Woods’. Are we going to end up lost?”

Goofy leaned down and said, “Ya know, Donald, I think we’re already lost, a’hyuck.”

“I know that!” Donald swatted him with his staff. “I meant are we going to turn into monsters?” 

“Hey, c’mon,” Sora said. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. Didn’t she say something about fairies? Maybe we can find one of them and ask for their help!” He laced his fingers behind his head and grinned.

“Sounds like a plan!” Goofy said. He nudged the duck. “Right, Donald?”

“Yeah, yeah. Lead the way, Sora.”

“It’s hopeless! We’ll never leave!” Sora collapsed against a tree. He gazed up at the trees’ canopy, wishing for just a glimpse of the sky. Any sort of hint or sign of the path out of this forest.

Donald marched up beside him. “Quit whining! This was your idea!”

“I didn’t realize how big this place is!” Sora let his body slump to the ground. It had taken another couple hours of wandering before his endless optimism cracked. “I miss my island! I miss my small, easy-to-navigate island!”

Sora fell quiet, and Donald tapped his foot. “Are you done?”

“Yeah.” Sora heaved himself to his feet. “Let’s keep going.”

The trio picked a direction and walked. After Sora’s outburst, the eerie silence returned. The trees towered over them, sentinels keeping watch over trespassers. 

Sora paused and glanced around.

“Something wrong?” Goofy asked.

“I think someone’s watching us.” His fingers tensed, ready to summon his Keyblade.

“Gawrsh, is it the Heartless?”

“Maybe it’s that girl again,” Donald said. “Sora, get her to show us the way out!”

Sora didn’t move. He tilted his head and frowned. “Do you guys hear that?”

His companions fell quiet, but then a faint sound filled the forest’s unnatural silence.

Music.

“It’s coming from this way.” Sora said, trying to walk as softly as possible. Donald and Goofy followed warily.

The light, spirited melody grew louder. It seemed to beckon him forward. He couldn’t help but follow.

“Hello?” Sora called out. “Is someone there?”

The music stopped.

He swept the branches aside and found . . . nothing. A fallen log leaned against another tree, but other than that the area was empty.

Leaves rustled. Sora looked around and caught a glimpse of something glowing. “Who’s there?” he called out. 

Someone giggled. As strange as the Kokiri girl had been, Sora realized this was something different.

“Are you trying to leave the forest?”

The three looked around, but the speaker remained hidden.

“Yes, we are.” Sora said. “Are you a friend of Fado’s?”

“Friend . . . do you want to be friends?” The voice came from above. Sora thought he could see a faint shape hiding in the leaves.

“Yeah, why not? But can you help us first?”

“Hmm. How about a game?”

“We don’t have time for games!” Donald stamped his foot. “Sora!” 

Sora shushed the duck. “Alright. We’ll play a game, and then you’ll show us how to leave. Deal?”

“Hee, hee. Deal. Close your eyes.”

Sora closed his and the others followed suit. The branches rustled again, accompanied by small footsteps. A hand slipped into his pocket.

“Hey!” Sora’s eyes flew open. He tried to grab the thief but found empty air. He rifled through his pockets, and his heart raced.

Kairi’s charm was gone.

“Give that back!” 

“But it’s part of our game!” The speaker finally emerged, materializing out of the air on a high tree branch. 

The childlike imp wore a strange, carved mask. Uncanny eyes seemed to glow a piercing amber. He held a wooden flute in one hand. Anger bubbled in Sora’s heart when he saw the seashell charm dangling from the imp’s other hand. 

Around the imp’s head, two fairies, one yellow and one purple, fluttered in excitement. “Oooh. Hey, Skull Kid, lemme see whatcha got,” the purple one said. The imp twirled the charm in his wood-like fingers, joints creaking with the movement.

“No! That’s mine!” Sora yelled. His patience snapped. The Kingdom Key appeared in a flash of light. “Aero!”

The blast of magic sent a whirlwind at the Skull Kid, but he flipped from the branch to another tree.

“Find me, and I’ll give it back.” The imp giggled and leapt from tree to tree, fairies twirling around his head.

“Hey, come back!” Sora charged after him.

“Sora!” Donald and Goofy called, but he ignored them. He kept track of the fairies’ distinct glow as the mischievous little creature flitted in and out of view. Then they disappeared entirely.

“No, no, no!”

“Sora, wait!” Donald grabbed the boy’s jacket and yanked him back. “We need to stick together!”

“But he stole from me! He took Kairi’s charm!” His hand slid into his pocket, but of course, the charm wasn’t there. His eyes stung.

“It’ll be ok, Sora.” Goofy laid a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll get it back.”

Sora closed his eyes and took a breath. “I know, I know.” Anger wasn’t going to help them navigate the forest or get the charm back.

“Just don’t go running off,” Donald said. “We’re in this together.”

Sora managed a weak smile at his friends. “Thanks, guys. Now let’s go find that thief.”

They didn’t make it two steps before the Heartless appeared.

The swarm of batlike Flutterings descended on the trio. Sora and Donald took cover behind Goofy’s shield.

“Now we get ambushed?” Sora grumbled.

“Stupid Heartless,” Donald muttered. He raised his staff. “Thunder!” Bolts of lightning incinerated part of the swarm. Sora took out the rest with a Ragnarok attack.

“There’s more!” Goofy shouted as five Powerwilds materialized.

Sora vented his frustration by smacking one in the face. “Go awaaaay. We. Have. More. Important. Things. To. Do!” He emphasized each word with a Keyblade strike. The remaining Powerwilds retreated into the trees.

“Ugh, finally,” Sora said. “Now we can get back to—”

A scream cut him off.

“Someone’s in trouble! C’mon!”

They chased the Powerwilds toward the creatures’ target. More Flutterings surrounded a glowing yellow figure—one of the Skull Kid’s fairy companions.

“Get away from me, you creepy things!” she yelled. “Hey! You guys! Do something!”

They jumped into action. Donald and Goofy charged at the Powerwilds while Sora cast Reflect around the fairy. The protective sphere blasted away the Flutterings. A few quick strikes later, and the final Heartless were hearts disappearing into the air.

The Reflect shield dissipated, freeing the terrified fairy. She immediately flew right into Sora’s face.

“What are you just standing around for? Those monsters attacked my brother, too! And now he’s lost and alone and in danger! You have to do something!”

He stumbled backward, nearly blinded by her glow. “Hey, cut it out! We’ll help, but then you have to give me back what you stole!”

“That wasn’t my fault!” she whined but kept her distance. “It was the Skull Kid!”

“Yeah, but you didn’t do anything about it,” Donald grumbled.

“But . . . I . . . He . . . Ugh, fine. I’m sorry.” The fairy’s light dimmed, and she looked down in shame. “It was just a stupid prank. We were going to give it back, I swear.”

“That was a mean trick to pull,” Sora said, “but thanks for the apology.”

The fairy brightened in relief, and she flew in agitated circles around his head. “Will you help my brother now? Please?”

“Alright, alright. My name’s Sora, by the way. This is Donald and Goofy.”

“I’m Tatl. C’mon, let’s go already.” She impatiently nudged him forward.

The trio kept their weapons ready and ventured onward. Tatl flew ahead, urging them to pick up the pace.

“Hey, Tatl,” Sora called out after a few minutes.

She zipped over to him. “What? Did you see something?”

“Well, no. I wanted to ask what made you guys steal from me.”

Tatl looked away and didn’t answer.

“It’s ok, I’m not mad.” Sora lifted his hand and let her sit on his palm. “I just want to know why.”

“We were just . . . a little bored. Our friend hasn’t visited in a while, and the Skull Kid always gets into mischief when he isn’t around. He didn’t mean to make you angry. He just wanted to have a little fun.”

“So . . . you guys were lonely.”

“Yeah,” Tatl murmured. “I guess.”

“I understand. I miss my friends too.” Sora thought about Riku and Kairi. His heart ached with their absence, but they each had important missions to fulfil. He missed Aqua and Axel too, but he wasn’t sure if that was him or from somewhere deeper. He laid his free hand over his heart. “But distance doesn’t matter. Your friends will always be a part of your heart.”

Tatl stilled and her wings wrapped around herself. “You’re right,” she murmured. “And I really am sorry.”

Sora smiled. His anger died down at last, and his heart felt lighter. Before the fairy could fly off again, he asked, “There’s one more thing I was wondering. Have you seen anyone wearing a black coat? Or any sort of darkness activity?”

“No, we haven’t seen anyone. But maybe . . .”

“Maybe what?”

“Maybe that’s why he’s been acting so strangely,” she finished. Her glow dimmed again, and she seemed nervous.

“Who do you mean?” Goofy asked.

Tatl paused, fluttering awkwardly for a moment. “The Skull Kid. He likes pulling pranks but wouldn’t usually go this far. Not since—Wait, what are we sitting here chatting for?” Tatl interrupted herself and smacked Sora’s arm. “We need to find Tael!”

She zoomed off again. Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran to catch up.

The shadows thickened as the grouped ventured deeper and deeper. They dispatched a few more Heartless, mostly Dark Plants and Shadows. The Emblems weren’t usually much of a threat, but Purebloods congregated around sources of darkness.

“Keep an eye out for one of the Seekers,” Sora said to his companions. “This is way too many Heartless to be normal.”

“Someone in a black coat?” Tatl dodged a projectile. “Like you mentioned earlier?”

“Yeah—Blizzara!—Those guys are bad news.”

The group finally returned to the fallen tree where they’d first met the Skull Kid. Except this time the imp was nowhere to be found.

“Tael! Taaaaaaeeeeeel!” Tatl yelled.

“Tatl!” The purple fairy appeared from the trees. Tatl flew toward him, but before she could make it, dark tendrils lashed out and grabbed Tael.

“No!” She shot back over to Sora before the darkness could capture her. “Do something!” she pleaded.

Sora ran over to Tael, but a dark corridor opened.

“I see you’re still running around chasing lost hearts.” the young Xehanort said. 

“You again?” Sora took his battle stance. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“And yet you’re so focused on saving strangers, you haven’t gathered anymore lights,” he taunted. “Maybe you need better motiva—”

A swing of the Kingdom Key interrupted him. Xehanort summoned his own Keyblade in time to block the attack.

“Your persistence is becoming a problem.” Annoyance clouded his normally indifferent expression. He jumped back and raised his hand. The darkness tightened around Tael’s wings, and the fairy cried out.

“Tael!” his sister yelled. “Stop hurting him!”

“What an interesting little creature. Fairies possess such bright hearts they’re practically made from light. Perhaps we could find a use for it.”

“I won’t let you do that!” Sora yelled. “We stopped you once and we’ll do it again!”

“Always the hero.” Xehanort sighed and summoned more Heartless. Soldiers materialized on every inch of ground, and Neoshadows clung to the trees, dark claws digging into the bark. “Consider this an exchange for your earlier intervention.”

Sora, Donald, and Goofy raised their weapons and prepared to charge.

“Get away from my friends.”

Sora jolted at the sound of the voice. His gaze snapped to the fallen log.

The Skull Kid stood barely out of the Neoshadows’ reach. Sora couldn’t see the imp’s expression, but the mask’s eyes were fixed on the Seeker.

Xehanort smirked. “So this child has come to rescue his friends? How noble.”

“I said let them go.” The Skull Kid’s sharp bite set a spike of fear through Sora’s heart. This wasn’t the playful imp he’d met earlier. Wisps of darkness pooled around his feet.

“Tatl, what’s happening?” Sora whispered. “Has Xehanort corrupted him somehow?”

“No. This darkness . . . It’s not that man’s doing.”

Xehanort must’ve learned from his failure in Woody and Buzz’s world. Two Invisibles materialized behind the Skull Kid and swung their swords in tandem.

“No!” Tatl cried.

Thunk.

The blades hit the log. The imp had vanished.

“What?” Xehanort snapped. The Invisibles pulled their swords out of the wood and glided to his side. “Find him!”

But the Skull Kid reappeared, hovering above the mass of twitching Soldiers. Shadows twisted around the child’s body as he curled inward. The mask’s eyes blazed gold. Energy crackled in the air, and Sora felt the breath snatched from his lungs.

“Destroy him!” Xehanort ordered.

“Stop!” Tatl shouted, but the Heartless leapt at her friend.

The Skull Kid screamed. A wave of darkness exploded outward, ripping the Heartless apart. 

Sora barely had time to cast Reflect before the blast hit.

Sora opened his eyes and squinted against the harsh daylight. White, puffy clouds slowly drifted in front of the sun. His eyelids grew heavy. He needed another minute of sleep.

“Sora!” Donald and Goofy shouted.

“Ah!” He jerked upright and rubbed his head. “What . . . what happened?”

“That imp happened, that’s what,” Donald said.

“Right. The Skull Kid. He—oh.” Sora gazed around. Several trees were uprooted, creating a wide clearing and exposing the bright noon sky. And the entire horde of Heartless was . . . gone. Freed hearts drifted into the sky and disappeared.

The Skull Kid sat at the center of the destruction. The mask was pushed over his head, revealing his face. Tatl floated next to his head, and Tael lay limp in his arms.

“Hey, you’re awake!” Tatl flew over to Sora as he got to his feet.

“Is your brother ok?”

“Yeah, he’s just resting. Hey, thanks for helping. I . . . really appreciate it.”

“You don’t need to thank me. Bashing Heartless is what we do,” Sora said, flashing a grin at Donald and Goofy. “Wait, where did Xehanort go?”

“He’s gone now,” the Skull Kid answered, looking up at Sora. Without the mask, he seemed much more childlike. “He won’t hurt my friends anymore.”

Sora hesitated before approaching him. The dark aura had vanished, replaced with a smile as he held his fairy companion. 

“Here, this is yours.” The Skull Kid held out Kairi’s charm. Relief washed over Sora as his fingers closed over the seashells. He pressed it to his chest. “Thanks for finding my friends,” he continued. “And for playing with me.”

Sora didn’t answer for a moment. It was hard to picture this child wielding such dark power. His gaze flicked to the mask on the Skull Kid’s head, but it’s eyes were dull and lifeless. An ordinary mask again, with scratched wood and chipped paint.

He smiled and placed his hand on the child’s head. “Well, our game did get interrupted. We’ll have to finish it another time.”

“Game? What game? What are we doing?” Tael said, fluttering to life. “Tatl! Are you okay?” He flew out of the Skull Kid’s arms and up to his sister.

“Me?” she huffed. “I’m fine, you dork. You’re the one who got captured!”

“We had to help you, too!” Donald said, stomping his foot.

“Oh, you mean that business with those monsters? No, I had that under control.”

“Hey! Ungrateful fairy!” 

Sora and the Skull Kid laughed as Donald chased the fairy. Goofy trailed behind, trying to calm the duck. Tael danced around the group, just out of Donald’s reach.

The Skull Kid fell quiet and looked down. “Are you going to leave now?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Sora asked.

“I like making new friends, but they always end up going away.”

“Well, that guy—Xehanort—he might still be hanging around. We have to stop him from hurting more people.”

The Skull Kid nodded. “I see. You have to fight the darkness. That’s what my other friend always says.”

Sora recalled Tatl mentioning someone else. “Who’s your other friend?”

“He’s from the forest, but he doesn’t live here anymore. He help me once. He’s helped so many people they call him a hero.”

Tatl circled back to them, Donald having finally relented. “Whatcha talking about?”

The Skull Kid raised his hand so she could sit on his palm. “I was telling him about Link.”

“Oh, yeah. Link’s great. He saved our world a while back. Apparently he’s a legendary hero, or something. Hey, maybe he can help you defeat that guy!”

“Really? We’d love some help! Right?” Sora looked at Donald and Goofy.

“Gwarsh, a legendary hero?” Goofy said.

Donald just shrugged. “We have to get out of this forest first. Remember?”

“Oh, right!” Sora jumped to his feet. “Tatl, will you please show us out now?”

The fairy fluttered around his head. “Yeah, I guess you’ve earned it. Follow me.”

She and Tael led the way. The Skull Kid giggled as he ran from branch to branch while the trio walked together.

“I’m sick of this forest,” Donald muttered. “And annoying children.”

“The scenery isn't so bad.” Sora laced his fingers behind his head. “But it’s nice to finally have a guide.”

More and more patches of sky became visible, and the light chased away the forest gloom. The trees eventually parted, revealing a lush, sprawling field. Sora could make out the shape of a castle in the distance.

“There’s Hyrule Castle,” Tatl said, nodding toward the structure. “That’s where you’ll find Link. Oh, and will you give him a message? Tell him he needs to visit ‘cause he hasn’t shown his stupid face in ages.”

She and Tael laughed and zipped back into the woods. The Skull Kid didn’t follow.

“Bye, Sora,” he said, but he kept his gaze on the ground.

“Not for long, though! We’ll see each other again! I promise.”

The Skull Kid smiled. “Promise,” he repeated quietly. Then he pulled the mask back on and chased after his friends.

**Author's Note:**

> Young Xehanort might be my least favorite of the Nort Squad, but his monologues sure fit well with Majora's Mask.  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
